2023 FIFA Club World Cup: Everything you need to know about the tournament

• Man City enters the FIFA Club World Cup as favorites.
• The competition runs from December 12–22 in Saudi Arabia.
• Fluminense and Al-Ittihad are seen as the main rivals for City.

Manchester City will compete in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. They will start the competition as heavy favorites to win the championship, and they will do so in the semi-finals.

Now that they have won the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team enters this competition as the first-ever owners of the UEFA Champions League trophy.

Presenting the official ball of the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023™️, the adidas Conext 24! ⚽️@adidasfootball | #ClubWC pic.twitter.com/XB3QgxKKs3

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 11, 2023

This event, which is slated to take place between December 12 and 22, brings together the winners of the top club competition in each confederation. Brazil’s Fluminense and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad are predicted to be two of City’s main rivals for the trophy.

The seven-team FIFA Club World Cup will conclude with this competition before a 32-club version begins in 2025.

When is the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup?

The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup begins on Tuesday, December 12 and ends in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, December 22 with the final.

Two locations will host the competition in Jeddah: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium and King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, which is home to Al Ittihad and the Saudi national team. The two stadiums can hold 27,000 people and 62,345 people, respectively.

The favorites going into the 2023 FIFA World Cup are Manchester City. They are favored because of their victory in the previous season’s triple, which saw them earning a spot in this competition by winning the UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time and eliminating Inter Milan 1-0 in the championship game.

Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, gets a bye directly into the semi-finals, avoiding two rounds. Marcelo, a former full-back for Real Madrid, leads Fluminense, the Copa Libertadores champions of Brazil, who likewise skip these preliminary rounds.

With star players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Fabinho in their ranks, Al-Ittihad has earned the right to play as the home team and are a formidable opponent. On Tuesday, December 12, the Saudi team will play Auckland City, the New Zealand team that won the OFC Champions League.

The victors of this first game will play Al Ahly of Egypt in an attempt to advance to the semi-finals where they would play Fluminense. Manchester City will host the winners of the second-round encounter between the AFC Champions League champion Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and Leon of Mexico, the CONCACAF Champions League winners.

FIFA Club World Cup Schedule

First round

Al-Ittihad v Auckland City – December 12 – 11:00 pm PST

Second round

Leon v Urawa Red Diamonds – December 15 – 7:30 pm PST

Al Ahly v First round winner – December 15 – 11:00 pm PST

Semi-finals

Fluminense v Second game-winner of the second round – December 18 – 11:00 pm PST

First game-winner of second round v Manchester City – December 19 – 11:00 pm PST

Third place play-off

Friday, 22 December – 07.30 pm PST

Final

Friday, 22 December – 11:00 pm PST

Players to look out for

Manchester City will be concerned about Erling Haaland’s health after he missed the 2-1 Premier League victory against Luton on Sunday, December 10, because of a foot issue.

Following his injury on the first day of the season, Kevin De Bruyne has begun light training and has been added to the team. Pep Guardiola speculates, though, that the Belgian may be too young for the Club World Cup.

The Brazilian footballers Felipe Melo, a 40-year-old senior defender who has played for Juventus and Inter Milan, and Marcelo, a former Real Madrid player, are two of Fluminense’s most experienced players.

With the additions of Fabinho, N’Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema in the summer, Al-Ittihad has one of the most potent teams on paper.

For Leon, Uruguayan forward Federico Vinas has proven to be a prolific goal scorer. Hiroki Sakai, a seasoned Japanese defender, will be leading the Urawa Red Diamonds.

Al Ahly’s starting lineup will include Mohamed El Shenawy, Egypt’s starting goalkeeper, and Emiliano Tade is the all-time top scorer for Auckland City.

Also Read

Here are countries that wish to host Women’s FIFA World Cup 2027

Three countries submitted joint bids to host Women's World Cup 2027. Brazil...